Attachment for sewing machines



Aug. 25, 1931. E. J. RAY v ,8

' ATTACHMENT FOR SEWING MACHINES Filed April 19. 1929 formed. Y

Patented Aug. 25, 1931 TUNITED STATES PATEN T OFFICE I EUGENEJ. RAY, BEVERLY, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGN'OR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS; TO THE SINGER MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF ELIZABETH, NEW JERSEY,

CORPORATION on NEW JERSEY ATTACHMENT ron Application filed April 19,

The present invention has relation to sewofthe work inparallel with the seam being Attachments of this type are employed in the manufacture of shoes for performing the operation known as top stitching, inwhich the uppers of shoes after being cut to shape are combined with one or more layers. of lining or other material. In combining the upper and the lining, it is desired to sew the marginal portions of the two together and simultaneously to trim the liningso' that its edge will be flush with or slightly inside of the edge of the upper, which latter has been previously finished in suitable manner as by skiving and turning. burnishing, or burning the leather so as to cause its edge to curl over andfpresent a smoothrounded contour, all as .well known; The edges of the upper sewed and trimmed in this manner appear-in the finished v shoe around the top; thereof and along the lacing slit. V g

It is essential for satisfactory work tosew theedge of the upper to the lining with the seam spaced uniformly in parallel to said edge, and totrim the lining without injuring the finished edge of the outer portion on which the aforesaid finished edge has "been formed. The work variesin thickness, since thelinin-g is apt to bunch up under the upper inmaking the circuit of the marginal portions thereof, and occasional seams are met with both in the lining andin the upper, eX-

tending at rightangles 'to the edge, as for instance the back seam. It has been found difficult to perform this sewlng and trimming operation satisfactorily with the devices hitherto in use on account of the tendency of these thickened portions to deflect the knife into injurious contact with the finished edge. Further, in work of this nature,it' is necessary to use a presser-foot, of the wellknown disc type to hold the work down in engagement with the feed, inorder to permit the workto beswung throughsharp angles in followingv the contour ofthe top and SEWING ,ivmonnvns 1929. Serial. No. 356,477.

lacingslit. Such disc type of presser-foot, must be arranged to engage the work in offset relation with respect to the point of con tact of the needle, and thus unavoidably leaves the work unsupported in the vicinity of the needle and subject to buckling or crumpling. when the outer portion of the upper is manipulated by the operator in holding it up to an edge gage determining the spaced relation of the seam from the finished edge of the upper. Such buckling or crumpling is particularly common in working upon uppers having the relatively flexible and flimsy finished edge produced by burning, and results in unsightly deviation of the line of stitches out of parallel with said edge and also in many instances allows the finished edge to bedamaged through escape from the edge gage and coming into contact with the trimming knife. y

The object of the present invention is to provide an attachment for use in top stitch-- ing which shallbefree from the objection-J able features of operation referred to. 1 I

The present invention consists in a top stitching attachment for sewing machines having a reciprocating edge-trimming knife, an edge-gage cooperating with the knife to engage andfldirect the finished edge of the f upper, and a separator blade or lip'enterin 80 between the layers of material being sewe and preventing the finished edge from coming in contact with the knife at all times whether theefinished edge escape from its edge gage'or whether the knife be deflected from its normal path by bunches or other re sistant portions of the material {being trimmed. This separator blade or;lip may be supported in any desired manner but as affording a simple and efficient construction is preferably formed on the knife.

In addition to the parts just described, the invention also contemplates the provision of an auxiliary presser-foot arranged between the disc presser-foot and the edge-gage to maintain the material which rests upon the separator blade orlip in smooth and flat relation, so that the edge of the upper shall not. escape from its edge gage and so that the line of stitches shall always be disposed in parallel to the finished edge;

An illustrative embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying draw ngs,

in which Fig. 1 is a front elevation of portions of the head, the needle bar, .pres-senbar, work table and feed of a typical sewing Inaehine, with the devices of the invention appliedithereto; Fig. 2 is aside elevation of the same; Fig.3 is a view. showing in detail certain of the parts of Fig. 1; and illustrating the relation of the knife, its lip and ed e gage, and the presser-feettothe mate-Pia Fig. 4 is a perspective View of the improved knife with its lip and edge-gage; Fig. 5' is a plan view showing the working relation of the knife With its lip and. edgegageto the disc and auxiliary presserefootl A. i is'indicated a portion of theheadof a zo typical; sewing machine having the usual needle-bar 2 and, presser-bar 3. mounted therein for vertical movement. 'The workplateis indicated at 4, and the feed at 5. .At 16. is the familiar disc presser-lfoot holding -..the work down against the feed 5 ,it being rotat'ably borne upon a swinging arm 17 pivotally "mounted at18 upon a bracket 19 af- .fixed' to. the presser-bar 3. by a bolt 20 and maintained in working relation by a spring 3e catch. 21 attached to said bracket and 'engag-f mg-with the swinging arm.

The trimmingknife 6. is formed, mounted,

and actuated as hitherto in some instances, in

particularas shown and described in U. S. ;;Letters Patent No. 156,267, issued-to. L.- L.

QBarber, on. October 27, 1874 and reissued August 28, 187'Z #.'Z,860. As. illustrated, the

knife comprises a thin blade or shank por@ tion arranged. to. vibrate. in 'a horizontal 4a plane, i; e, substantially inthe plane of thework, anda portion extending vertically downward'at right angles to the shank pro vided with a cutting edge which, duringthe.

, vibrationofthe knife, moves back and forth 4:; inthe line of feed. Theknifeis the same in construction as the. knife disclosed in the Barbe patent .witl the exception that its cutting end-hastliernovel formillustrated in.

Fig. 41, the. cutting edge '7 being provided with an-integrally-formed separator-blade or lip B. which extendsbeyond the vertical cutt ng'edge 'Z in a horizontal direction so'as toenterinwardly between the outer portion '9 of'the upper and the lining lOand extend between the upper and lining beyondthe line. ofcut in the relation shown clearly in Fig. 3.

. Thus when the knife 6 is vibrated rapidly in a substantially horizontal'plane about its pivot a t 11 by'suitable actuating means (not 65. 9scoinprising the'o uter portion of the upper.

The margin of the top layer is thus supported above the level of the cutting edge 7 and consequently out of range thereof at all times, even though the knife encounter thick places in the under layer 10 sufficiently resistant to spring the knifeupwardly out of its usual path of vibration. The lip 8 is shaped in such manner as not to; interfere with theJneedle, as lndicated' in Figs; 4 and. 5, herein merging into thebody of the knife abreast of the cutting edge 7;, but may be ,varied in its shape to support the top layer beyond said edge i-f" desired when the timing and throw of the knife are appropriately arranged.

To. locate the line along which the lower layer 10 shall be trimmed with respect to the finished-edge'loof the top layer- 9 or outer portion oftl'ie upper, an edge-gage 12 isprovided to determine. the position of such finished edge with respect to the cutting edge 7 ofthe knife as the work travels through the machine. Herein this edge-gage is conveniently carried by the knife itself, and comprises a member of angular section secured by rivets 13 to the shank of the knife, the upstanding flange which engages the edge of the top layer 9- being curved concentric with the axis on which the knife swings. The upstanding fiange is positioned with respect to the cutting edge 7 in the relation giving the desired type of trimming action to the under layer l0,that illustratedin the drawings. being designed to undercut the layer 10 or lining slightly with respect to the finished edge of the top. layer 9. V a

The; edge-gage 12' also. serves to determine thespaced relation of the line of stitches made by the needle 14 with respect to the finished edge 1 5,.and to produce satisfactory work this spaced relation must not vary an appreciable amount. To preventcrowding of the: material of the top layer 9:.lateral-ly by the operator into the space between the disc presser-foot; 16; and theedge-gage 12, with consequent harmful deviation of theline of stitches out of parallel with the finished edge 15 or escape of the. finishededge over the top of theedge-gage, with; the same result-,an auxiliary presser=foot 22 is; provided to fill "substantially all the space between the disc presseefoot andtheedgegageand hold the top layer 9 in smooth and flatrelation upon the lip:8 which supports. it from below. This auxiliary presser-foot is cut away as shown at 23, '5, toprovide clearance for the needleld, and its heel. is pivoted at 24. in a slot 25/formed in, a. bracket 2'6Yadjustably secured to the presser-baa" 3 by a nut 27 ap.- plied to-theendof'boltQO: The auxiliary presser-foot is helddown by; a1spring-28' confined between its. upper surface and i the -end ofa recess 29 formed'in the bracket 26 and intersecting the slot 25, so that it has capacity for up-and down movement relative to the lOQ ' ke t in contact with the ed ea e 12 and p b b b 7 since the space between the disc presserfoot 16 and the edge-gage is completely filled by'the auxiliary presser-foot 9,2, the operator cannot force the outer portion of the up-v per in so as to cause its edge to ride up over the gage. By reason'of the separator blade or lip 8, the parts cannot be manipulated so as to cause the upper to be injured by the cutting edge. In case bunches or thick places occur in the lining, inside of the line of pressure of the disc presser-foot, the knife together withthe edge gage and the auxiliary presser foot can yield upwardly without interfering with the feeding engagement of the disc presser fo'ot with the work. Also, this upward movement can take place without any liability of the upper escaping over the top of the edge-gage.

The nature and scope of the invention having been indicated and a mechanism embodying the invention having been specifically described, what is claimedis:

1. A sewing machine having, in combination, stitch forming devices, an edge-trimming knife arranged to trim a layer of the material being sewed to form an edge substantially flush with the edge of another layer of the material, and a lip upon the knife enterinv between the layers of material being sewed and extending between said layers beyond the line of cut.

2. A sewing machine having, in'combination, stitch forming devices, an edge-trimming knife comprising a thin blade vibrating in substantially the plane of the work and provided with a cutting edge atright angles to the blademoving during the vibration of the blade back and forth in the line of feed, and a separator blade'entering between the layers of material being sewed and extending between said layers beyond the line of out.

' 3. A sewing machine having, in combination, stitch forming devices, an edge-trimming knife arranged to trim alayerof the material being sewed to form an edge sub stantially flush with the edge of another layer of the material, an edge-gage cooperating with the knife, and a lipupon the knife en- Vtering between the layers ofmaterial being sewed and extending between said layersbeyond the line of cut.

f 4. A sewing machine having, in combination',stitch forming devices, a vibrating edgetrimming knife arranged to trim a layer of the material being sewed to form an edge substantially flush with the edge of another layer of the material, an edge-gage carried by the knife, and a lip upon the knife entering. between the layers of material being sewed and extending between said layers beyond the cutting edge of the knife to maintainja layer of material to be trimmed within range ofthe cutting edge and a layer of material which is not to be trimmed out ofrange thereof.

5. A sewing machine having, in combination, stitch forming devices and a vibrating edge-trimming knife arranged to trim a layer.

of the material being sewed to form an edge substantially flush with the edge of another layer of the material having an edge-gage and a surface engaging a layer of the work beyond. the line of cut adapted to maintain said layer of the work out of range of the cutting edge of the knife.

6. A sewing machine having, in combination, stitch forming devices, a vibrating edgetrimming knife arranged to trim a layer of the material being sewed to form an edge substantially flush with the edge of another layer of the material, an edge-gage cooperating with the knife. a surface upon the knife engaging a layer of the work beyond the line of cut and supporting said layer of the work out of range of the cutting edge of the knife, and a presser-foot pressing said layer against the said surface to keep the layer in flat relation.

7 A sewing machine having, in combination, stitch forming devices, a vibrating edgetrimming knife arranged to trim a layer of the material being sewed to form an edge substantially flush with the edge of another layer of the material, an edge-gage cooperating with the knife, a separator blade entering between the layers and extending between stantially flush with the edge of another layer of the material, an edge-gage carried by the knife, a lip upon the knife entering between the'layers of material being sewed and extending between said layers beyond the line of cut, a disc presser-foot, and an auxiliary presser-foot between the disc presser-foot and the edge-gage to smooth the material resting upon the lip.

9. A sewing machine having, in combination, stitch-forming means, a disc presserfoot, an edge-gage, a knife acting below the of cut. 7 r

edge-gage to trim one layer of a plurality comprising the Work being sewed to form anedge substantially flush with the edge of an other layer, a separator blade supporting the layer not being trimmed and extending between said layers beyond the line of cut, and an auxiliary presser-foot holding down the Work between the disc resser-foot and the edge-gage. v V g 10. A' sewing machine having, in combination, stitch forming devices, an edge trimming knife'comprising a thin blade vibrating in substantially the plane of the Work and providedvvith a cuttingedge at right angles to the blade moving, during the vibration of the blade back and forth in the line of ateed and a'lip upon the knife entering between the layers of material being sewed and extendingbetween said layers beyond the line In testimony whereof I have name to this specification. 7

' EUGENE J. RAY.

signed my 7 

